Chapter Text
Summer had begun in Derry, Maine, and you were bored out of your fucking mind. You and your parents had just moved there, the very beginning of Summer, and already you could tell it was going to be long. Maybe you should have taken up your parents on their request to move a week before Summer was over, so you could attend Derry High School and meet some people, but it was too late to do anything about that now. Hindsight’s 20/20, I guess.
You lay in your bed, the warm breeze wafting through your window. Your head lulled to the side, and you looked out at the bright blue sky. You had gotten dressed and put makeup on, planning to go for a bike ride around the town and become more familiar with it (it’s not like you had anything better to do), but after getting ready you flopped on to your bed. After today, what were you going to do? Maybe you were just going to have to spend this summer finding yourself, or some stupid shit. Pick up some new hobbies and try some new things. Hell, maybe you’d look for a part-time job. If you didn’t, your entire Summer was going to be spent in the state you were in now: laying in your bed, staring out the window.
You picked yourself up and smoothed out your clothes. You grabbed your small backpack from the floor and slung it over your shoulders, heading out.
You never bothered to tell your parents you were leaving, as you had already mentioned you planned on going out today, and you decided they could figure that out themselves. You grabbed your (f/c) bike from the side of the house, hopped on, and headed out.
You didn’t live too far from downtown, so you decided that was the safest bet for now. It would be difficult to get lost down here. You noted a couple of places that would be interesting to check out - a library, an arcade, a park, and there was some big river you biked past too, but the thought of going down there by yourself made you a little uneasy. You also probably wouldn’t have been able to take your bike, due to the steepness.
You pulled up to the park and stopped, admiring the view before you. There wasn’t really any playset, no swings or anything, but there were lots of trees, a couple of benches, and a large statue of Paul Bunyan. It looked like a nice place, and you noticed a handful of people walking through - notably, a couple that looked around your age. It was a girl and a boy, and right away you knew what drew your gaze towards them was the short, fiery red hair on the girl’s head. As if she felt your stare, her head turned towards you. Quickly you pretended to be looking at something else, your eyes wandering around for a moment before landing on her again. She was still staring back at you. You hesitated, a million thoughts racing through your mind. Should you say something? Bike away? Wave? What if they’re mean? Why is she coming over here?
“Hey!” The red-haired girl waved at you, jogging over. “I’ve never seen you around before.” She said, the boy beside her visibly uncomfortable. You cleared your throat, “I just moved here, actually. We finally finished unpacking so I thought I’d come check out the town.” This girl seemed nice, but you were still a little nervous. Was it too good to be true? Were you actually managing to make a friend?
“Do you know anybody here?” She asked. “No,” you answered honestly. “Just this morning I was wishing we moved earlier so I could’ve gone to school for a bit and got to know some people.” “Well,” she stuck out her hand. “I’m Beverly Marsh. This is Bill Denbrough. There, now you know some people.” She smiled. You shook her hand, smiling back. “I’m Y/N L/N. Thank you.” You immediately cursed yourself for thanking her. That was kind of pathetic, you thought. Thanking her for what, being your friend? She didn’t seem to acknowledge it. “We were just heading down to the Barrens actually, did you want to join? We’re meeting up with the rest of the Losers, that way you can get to know even more people.” “Uh, yeah, sure!” You said, deciding against asking about who the Losers were. “Thank you. Um, where’s the Barrens?” For the first time, the boy spoke up. “The B-Barrens are that big river. We like to h-hang out down there.” “We should show her the Clubhouse!” Beverly said to Bill. Before you had a chance to react, she was speaking again. “Let’s get going.”
The walk there was nice. It wasn’t too far anyways, but Beverly and Bill both seemed really nice, and kept asking you questions and keeping you engaged in the conversation. When there was a lull in the conversation, you took the opportunity to ask about the Losers. “Oh! Yeah, sorry, I never really elaborated on that, huh? Well, there’s seven of us, including Bill and I. I’ll get them to introduce themselves to you when we get there. They’re like us, they’re all really nice people.” Bev answered. Bill seemed deep in thought for a moment, then added, “Richie will p-p-probably try and hit on you. D-Don’t worry about it, he’s like that with ever-everyone.” You nodded. Richie? You weren’t sure what to think. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad if he were cute, but if he’s like that with everyone, then you also didn’t really want any part in it. It seemed like a setup for heartbreak.
You didn’t realize until now that you were getting closer to voices. You couldn’t make out what anyone was saying, but it continued to get louder. Finally, a group of boys, also all around your age, came into view. The Losers.
Immediately, all of their eyes fell on you. You swallowed, suddenly feeling very nervous, but you kept walking forwards with Bill and Bev. You were glad you had your bike to hold on to and distract you from the five boys. “Quit staring, you creeps.” Bev finally piped up, and the group seemed to snap out of their trance. “Dibs.” Said a boy with huge square glasses and a Hawaiian shirt. The group seemed to collectively groan. “Beep beep, Richie.” Sighed a boy with curly hair. “Yeah, you’re going to scare her away, idiot!” Added another, a boy with a fanny pack around his waist. “G-Guys, this is Y/N,” Bill said once you were stopped. “Introduce yourselves.”
You took note of who must’ve been Richie, the one who Bill said would flirt with you. And, man, he was cute. The disheveled brown hair and big brown eyes were enough to fit your type exactly, but the glasses, and even the way he dressed - he was your type to a T. And you were a sucker for sweet talk. This was absolutely a recipe for your heart to get broken.
The boys took turns introducing themselves. Mike, Ben, Stan, Eddie, and finally- “Richie Tozier. Don’t forget it, babe.” He winked. When Bill said Richie would be flirty, you had no idea it would be this intense. “We’re the Losers Club.” Said Stan, ignoring Richie. “How come we’ve never seen you around before?” “Yeah,” Richie jumped in. “I think I’d remember an ass like that if I saw it.” Eddie quickly reached over and smacked Richie upside the head. Like Stan did earlier, you also decided to ignore Richie. “I just moved here, actually.” You told them. “Today’s the first day that I haven’t had to unpack, and I ran into Beverly and Bill while I was biking around town. They invited me to come here with them.” “Well, you’re free to hang out with us whenever.” Stan said. You smiled, looking at the group again. Maybe this Summer wasn’t going to be so long and lonely after all.